VIVA VOCE

Here’s your taster menu for what’s in store at the VIVA VOCE Christmas choral feast…

with its variations on the ‘There is no Rose’ theme.

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The very best lush and imaginative contemporary settings:

Kenneth Leighton – Of a Rose, is all my song

James MacMillan – O Radiant Dawn & Ave Maris Stella

Matthew Martin – Ecce Concipies – an Annunciation telling like no other.

Jan Sandstrom – Det ar en Ros utsprungen – Praetorius ‘recomposed’.

Jonathan Dove – The three Kings. Mary’s inner premonitions whilst telling of the Magi to her son.

Jonathan Lane & Alan Smith – There is no Rose – compare & contrast…

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Music for Yuletide Revellers:

Jaakko Mantyjarvi – Old Christmas Returned (or Hospitality Revived) – an anglophiles take on

inebriate Yuletide Wassailing.

Jonathan Rathbone -a swingle style basque Gabriel’s Message

William Walton – Make we joy now in this fest

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The English ‘pastoral’ scene:

 Peter Warlock – As dew in Aprylle – harmonic sophistication par excellence.

 John Joubert – There is no Rose in meditative instrumental form

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Home-grown sonic splendour of Renaissance polyphonists:

 Peter Philips - O Beatum et Sacrosanctum Diem – choral trumpets, strings, psaltery and

organ to the fore!

 Robert Cowper – a tintinnabulate Gloria in Excelsis

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Lusty and erudite Georgian ‘West’ Gallery Quire Wassailing with a hand picked Band:

(requires some audience participation – ballad sheets to be provided)

 Thomas Greatorex with distinctly portuguese flavoured Adeste, fideles introduced as a

Minuet

 John Fawcett - Strike! Seraph Strike your harps of Gold – A northern Oratorio-like treat.

 Stephen Storace - Sheffield’s James Montgomery’s Angels from the Realms to a barely

disguised risqué Italian opera buffa number

 John Foster – ‘Old Foster’ of High Green, While Shepherds Watched. The definitive ‘Sheffield’

Carol?

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Romantic ‘Operatic’ Excess:

 Anton Bruckner – Virga Jesse – the ‘Cecilian movement’ poster boy does good.

 A chain-dance Provençal processional Farandole MARCHO DI REI - the original carol melody

in Bizet’s L'Arlesienne party ‘mix’

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Lovingly wrapped pastoral instrumental extracts to detox:

 Locatelli - Christmas Concerto Grosso – Shepherd’s, sheep, starlight – you get the picture.

 Pez – Pastorale Concerto for two recorders – see them ‘pifferari’ go

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Half time drinks and Mince pies to boot – What’s not to like.

 

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This concert is dedicated to the memory of Peter Hackett – versatile Sheffield Musician, Educator,

inspiration and Renaissance man.

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He’d have liked this gig – some fine colleagues and friends will pay tribute with their talents!

 

God bless.